SALE Yarn-O-The-Week

Oh boys and girls - do we have some goodies for you this week! Oodles of new and fabulous sock yarns from Opal. We're really excited about their new line of sock yarn with colorways based on the work of the artist Hundertwasser. You can read about the artist here. But really, what you're interested in is the yarn itself, right? Check it out:

Look at what that clever Judy has done with colorway 1434. It's a popular colorway - yours truly has part of a sock completed in it, too. I'm loving it - this yarn is fabulous to work with and I'm endlessly entertained by the random color changes.

We've also added four of the colorways from the new Rainforest collection - Peacock, caterpillar, tucan, and frog.

Warren adds:
Both the Hundertwasser & Rainforest II collections are standard 4 ply sock/fingering weight yarns - 75% superwash wool/25% nylon. A 100g ball has 425 meters, knits up on size US 1 needles at 8 sts/inch, and are a blend of nylon & wool. Reports are that the Opal sock yarn wears like iron - very good for everyday use!

Also new to MFA this month is Opal six-ply in several new colors. Six-ply is great for both new and advanced sock knitters. Since it's heavier, you can use bigger needles and fewer stitches. Easy to see what you're doing and it knits up really quickly. I've already finished one sock for my red-happy son and have the second one underway. There's enough yardage in a single ball of six-ply to do two pairs of medium-sized women's socks or a single pair of socks for a pair of large feet. Or a pair of super-sized slipper socks. Knock yourself out!

To celebrate all this fibery goodness, from Friday, February 16 through Sunday February 18, all Opal Hundertwasser, Rainforest and Six-Ply will be on sale for 10% off regular prices. And as if that weren't enough, all other Opal yarns (and we've got quite a variety, including solids) will be discounted 15% off regular prices. Knit-nighters (Thursday at 7 pm) can get a headstart on the sale. Come on in and check it out - these yarns are even prettier in person.

Wondering what's going to be on sale next week? We don't know yet. We've got so many new and fabulous things coming in that we can't decide. Stay tuned!

Have We Got a Deal For You!

This weekend Marin Fiber Arts is kicking off something new:

The Weekend Special. Each time we receive a fabulous shipment of new yarn, it will be highlighted for one weekend at a special introductory discount to encourage everyone to try something new.

This weekend, starting Friday February 9th and ending Sunday February 11th, Lorna's Laces Swirl DK will be on special at 15% off the regular price of$13/skein. In addition, all other yarn from Lorna's Laces will be 10% off for the weekend.

This amazing new yarn from hand-dyers extraordinaire Lorna's Laces is composed of a strand of silk twisted around a strand of superwash merino wool, creating a candy-cane effect on the skein. The two fibers absorb dye differently, creating a sparkling effect when knitted up. The yarn is super-soft and is great for hats, scarves, and sweaters.

We have many samples knitted up in the form of a trunk show, which will be on display for the next month or so. These samples include a v-neck vest designed byMelissa Leapman, a beautiful India-inspired beaded short-sleeved top and shawl, and an adorable one-piece baby sweater in two versions: knitted and crocheted! Patterns are available for all samples. You can read a review of Swirl DK at Knitters Review here: Swirl Review

Additionally, we have a new supply of the best-selling Shepherd Worsted in the following colors: Baltic Sea, Watercolor, Purple Iris, and Tahoe.

Remember, the Weekend Special (15% off Swirl DK, 10% off all other Lorna'sLaces yarns) runs this Friday February 9th through Sunday February 11th. If you can't wait that long, join us for a sneak preview during Knit Night tonight, February 8th at 7:00 pm. Knit Nighters will be able to take advantage of the introductory prices before everyone else.

See you soon!

Knit@Nite

We had an amazing turnout for knit night last week, including several newbies and the return of some oldtimers who have been MIA.


Sue works on her lovely blue sweater


Patricia showcases her handknit socks--adorable


Angela wears a gorgeous hat of her own design


Allison puts the finishing touches on a baby blanket by knitting on a fabric border


Everyone hug Lisa, she had a tough week


Emily sews handles onto a cute knitted purse


Jen works feverishly on a baby blanket


Tiffany is making some lovely handwarmers


Liz is working on an amazing shawl made out of Boise


Judy


Concentrating hard


We had so many folks we were spread out all over the place


This is supposed to be an action shot--can you tell whose fingers are flying more furiously?


Emily holds up FO.

Again, welcome newbies and returning oldtimers alike. Hope to see you all next week. Happy knitting.

TNNA Update

Hi folks,

Long time no blog. Sorry about that! In order to redeem myself, allow me to blab about my adventures last weekend at the National Needlework Association's trade show for yarn stores, held in sunny but chilly (argh) San Diego. My first time in San Diego and it's chilly. Go figure.

First off: TNNA is sharing the convention center with Mary Kay Cosmetics. Fortunately they were waaay on the other side of the building. Those perfectly-put-together women had me a little frightened. Too many diamonds - or maybe they were swarovsky crystals?

Secondly, the personality highlights. TNNA is always fun because you get to meet someone (usually multiple someones) cool or funny or bizarre. I was fortunate enough to meet Norah Gaughan, author of the amazing book Knitting Nature. I've been a fan of hers since the early 90s. Brilliant knitwear designer. She was lovely - and giggled a lot. I then stole a fleeting glimpse of knitting legend Kaffe Fasset, master of color and geometric patterning. He walked by the Fiesta Yarns booth while I was sitting down discussing my order. Obviously in a hurry, HE LOOKED AT ME. Can you stand it? Yay! I feel special. I of course spent lots of time sitting down with Kirstin Muench, owner of Muench Yarns and the superest duperest person in the yarn world. While discussing the new offerings from GGH (which her company distributes), the one and only Nicky Epstein (designer/author/teacher/speaker) interrupted our conversation briefly and politely. To apologize for the interruption (which was maybe 10 seconds long), NICKY EPSTEIN HUGGED ME. OMG. How can I stand it?? After recovering gracefully, I was later introduced to Vicky Howell, host of Knitty Gritty on the DIY channel. She was at the SWTC booth promoting her new yarns (um, her face is on the label. what gives?). She was very nice but had to run off to join her friends. Meanwhile, in the Interweave Press booth (the people at Interweave are SO NICE), I glimpsed Lily Chin. She looked at me - and then looked away. She probably could sense I was not a big crochet fan. So shoot me!

Thirdly, here's some scoop about what's coming for the store... boatloads of stuff from Muench/GGH, including a beautiful 100% silk plus a lofty, yummy cotton blend that feels like a Debbie Bliss-style cashmere blend but is not. Two hand-dyed yarns are coming from Fiesta... a new sock yarn made from alpaca and tencel, plus perennial favorite La Boheme (a mohair/rayon multi-strand yarn that's been around a long time). New for me from Claudia Handpainted Yarn comes their laceweight 100% silk... 1100 yards on a skein! Amazing stuff. Speaking of laceweight, you can expect a 2 ply cashmere/silk blend from Jade Sapphire and Zephyr from Fiddlesticks Knitting, a great silk and wool blend that's a favorite among lace knitters. I'm very excited about the lace-weight additions to my inventory. I'm also adding the popular sock yarn from Mountain Colors called Bearfoot, a bunch of fun little accessories from Lantern Moon including the coolest-ever dp sock needles, bags & totes from Timeless Totes and Namaste', and a beautiful selection of hemp yarn from Hemp For Knitting,

Last but not least is a small yarn company worth lusting over: the Fibre Company in Maine. They specialize in hand-dyed luxurious super-soft natural fiber blends that make you pee in your pants. The colors are mostly-solids (no multis) in extremely rich, subtle hues. Upon first examination the yarns may not look so special - but once you spend time with them, caress them, stare deeply in to their eyes, you will fall in love. It is inevitable. You will be assimilated. The yarns I'm bringing in are Terra, a blend of merino, baby alpaca and silk (kettle dyed) with the look of handspun, and the most ultimate yarn on the planet, Road to China. Get a load of its heritage: 65% baby alpaca, 10% cashmere, 10% camel, 10% soy, 5% yak. It is TDF (to die for).

More later...

ps: I almost forgot to mention... I brought back sample skeins of many of the yarns mentioned above! Pay us a visit at Knit Night tomorrow night (Thursday) for a first-hand glimpse!

Pre-Knit Night (Jan. 11) - A Belated Post

Last Thurs. before knit night even began, I was fortunate enough to spend a little extra time knitting and chatting with Warren and Suzanne.


Warren holds up a gorgeous wrap he designed.



It's just nummy -- the textures and colors blend beautifully.



Suzanne bundles up to brave the cold, sporting a lovely handmade scarf.

Hope to see everyone this week bundled up in their handknit finery!

Knit Night Redux :-)

I am happy to report that the first knit night of 2007 was a veritable knit-a-palooza. It could have been the wine shots, or the highly tasty cheese, but most likely it was because it was such a relief to get back to a wonderful group of friends, fibers, and more fibers.


Patricia snapped up this gorgeous sage laceweight merino. Lovely.


Gorgeous Boise FO--scarf and hat set. Simply beautiful.


Scarf detail.


Best...socks...ever!


Angela demonstrates knitting in cartoon style.


Lisa concentrates on her gorgeous red baby sweater.


Patricia shows us a bit of her gorgeous sweater from the Muench yarn trunk show.


Warren was swatching some gorgeous sock yarns.


This one had angora and felt like butter when swatched.


Inventory shenanigans?

We also had a new knitter swing by who hadn't picked up the sticks in 20 years! By the end of the evening she was happily knitting away.

Thanks, everyone, for a wonderful knitting start to the new year! See you next week.

Knit Night: A Review

Thank you, Warren, for inviting me to contribute to your blog. This is a much appreciated honor.

I freely admit that I am often not at a loss for words, but tonight at Knit Night at Marin Fiber Arts, I was at a loss more than normal.

First, Judy showed off her new weaving project with was done with...(wait for it)....sock yarn. Austermann Step in color 08 (which in case you don't have the color number translation in front of you is a delicious combination of grey, off white, and rosey pinks -- Yes, I have my skein, why do you ask?). Warren has the resulting woven scarf in the shop for a limited time (I will remember my camera next week to take photos -- please forgive me for lack of photos).

Next, Renee showed off these socks -- well, in the interest of full disclosure there was a complete sock and about half of the second sock. It is a pattern from Cool Socks, Warm Feet and a tweed sock yarn (also in stock, Warren reminded me). The pattern has a rib that twists arou the foot and ankle (complete with a garter stitch heel). It made the self striping yarn appear to be entraloc without the extra ends to weave in. Yes, it took my breath away and I had to sit down before I fainted.

Our own, 'Kiwi' was working on an entraloc scarf and again -- I was speechless. Now, mind you watching her weave in the ends made me a little happy it wasn't me, because we ALL know that I'd be forced to felt it and clip lest I go nuts with the darning needle. However, for both Kiwi's and her gift receipt's sake, I'm not knitting this one -- so it will be both outstanding AND done in time. She has talent for such things.

I also witnessed our Vegan Knitter making a gift with baby alpaca yarn. She was, as always, was trying new skills with two mittens on two circs at the same time. I'm seriously impressed as she worked through how to keep the two balls straight, fought the floppy needles, and even came up with a quick reason for the two different types of needles on the fly. I think by the end, she was feeling rather confident with the skills. Hey, it is something I haven't tried yet.

Me? I was working on the never ending Christmas sock. I have a mere 12 days to finish sock one and get sock 2 done. Yes, I'm feeling the pressure. And yes, I'm over the grayness of it all.

And in case you've missed the e-mails, let's review the happenings of Marin Fiber Arts.

1. Jo Sharp Trunk Show. Awesome sweaters to see and 15% off Jo Sharp Yarns during the show!!!
   
2. Stash for Cash. Donate a pound of yarn, get $5 in credit for the store. See Warren for details.
3. Anniversary Sale. There is a sliding scale of savings. Spend a little, Save a Little. Spend Alot, Save alot.
   
4. Wall of Savings. There are even sale yarns!!
5. Bring a Friend. Introduce someone new to MFA and get a $25 class AND some Soak (which is the BEST wool wash I've ever tried.)

So, I promise in my future updates, I'll have some photos. So, what did I miss while I was K2P2ing on my grey sock??

First Knitting Retreat a Smashing Success

I'd like to thank everyone who attended our first Knitting Retreat in San Anselmo - a great time was had by all! There was much food, drink, and of course playing with yarn!

One of our attendees, Meredith, has given me permission to post a link to her online album of pictures taken at the event. I've snagged a few of them to post here as well. Enjoy!



Hmm... maybe this is Hogwarts?



The Victorian house in which we stayed. Do we have to leave??



A sampling of the yarn provided by Unicorn/Lana Grossa... what a lineup!



Can you have yarn for breakfast? Certainly!



Sittin' on a Victorian porch knittin' with friends... paradise, anyone?



After walking the seminary's labyrinth, we paused for photo ops. Cheese!



Ok, these weren't knit with Lana Grossa yarn, but who cares when they're THIS cute!

As promised, here is a link to the full photo album:

Retreat Photo Gallery

Retreat Update

A quick update on our retreat and spa scheduled for November 3-5, 2006: all single occupancy rooms are sold out; we still have double-occupancy rooms available as well as 'sleep-over' and daytime slots. The deadline to reserve is soon: September 15th, one week from today.

Here are some pictures of the lovely house at which we will be spending the weekend in early November...







I've arranged to have Sheila Sparapani from Butterfly Skin Studio provide a "Knitter's Spa" on Saturday afternoon. Sheila will offer a complementary class on handcare for the knitter (demonstrating and practicing hand exercises, giving out free samples of hand creams, etc). Additionally she will offer individual 15-minute nourishing hand treatments for a $15 charge which will include hydration, stretching, a parafin wax treatment, and an accupressure/massage. Attendees will be able to sign up for the individual treatments on Saturday morning.


Look here for detailed information about the retreat, including pricing.

Knitting Retreat & Yarn Spa

Announcing the first Marin Fiber Arts Knitting Retreat and Yarn Spa... read all about it here!

Also, new fall yarns continue to roll in. Check out the latest from Rowan, RYC, Tahki/Stacy Charles, Karabella, and Cascade, with more to come! We are extremely busy stickering and shelving bag upon bag of soft, terrific yarns for your knitting pleasure. We've also put together the Great Wall of Sock Yarn, complete with offerings from Lana Grossa, Opal, Skacel (Trekking and Step), in addition to sock yarn from Claudia Hand Painted Yarn.

Wanted: Knitters & Teachers

We are currently looking for experienced teachers to teach intermediate knitting classes (how to make your "first" sweater, etc) and also experienced knitters to make models (ie. store samples). We are about to be inundated with new fall yarns and we can't keep up with all the knitted we need to do! Items to be knitted include baby items and adult sweaters.

Please contact Warren at the store, either by email (yarn AT marinfiberarts DOT com) or call 415.459.4600.

New Fall Yarns: Tonalita & Yosemite

Early response has been overwhelming to some new yarns that have come in during the past few weeks: Tonalita and Yosemite, both from Trendsetter yarns.

They are both composed of wool & acrylic, are extremely soft and lofty, and come in a wide range of beautiful multi colors. Tonalita actually stripes.

Tonalita is worsted weight and comes in 7 colorways:



The sweater was provided by Trendsetter, and is a super-simple asymmetrical cardigan. The pattern is available for purchase. Here is a closeup of the sweater - notice how the yarn naturally stripes:



Yosemite has a similar fiber composition but is a bulky thick & thin - I'm thinking it will make great scarves and hats as well as cozy sweaters.





We will be getting a cabled sweater out of Yosemite very soon.